NFL Daily Fantasy Football 2015: DFS Sleeper D/ST's to Target Early This Season
It's almost that time of the year. The 2015 NFL season is approaching rapidly, so the sleeper conversation is at an all-time high currently. For season-long fantasy players, the drafts are underway, but what about for those daily fantasy players?
It's time to look at the sleepers at multiple positions for the early part of the 2015 season. With that said, there's no tougher position to make those tough calls on than defensive/special teams units. Should you spend the extra couple of hundred dollars on a team like the Seattle Seahawks ($3,400), or look for a sleeper?
Whichever way you choose to go, we're going to cover a few of the top picks for the defensive sleeper teams that you can draft early in 2015.
While the Seahawks are the most expensive defensive unit in Week 1 on DraftKings, we'll start off by looking at defenses who cost $2,800 or less in the opening week of action.
So, let's not waste anymore time. Who's ready to battle for the $2 million grand prize in the DraftKings $10 million Millionaire Maker?
St. Louis Rams: $2,800
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The St. Louis Rams have quite a talented defense, and their 2014 season just began to truly scratch the surface. The Rams didn't draft a defensive player until the seventh-round of the 2015 NFL draft for a reason, it's because their defense isn't the problem.
Over the span of the final nine games of the 2014 season, the Rams defense tallied 10 interceptions and a ridiculous 34 sacks. That's the definition of truly turning a corner in the second half of the year. The Rams will now hit the upcoming season with a full head of steam and the potential to make a playoff push.
Even with a slow start to the season, the Rams still finished the year with 40 sacks, ranking them No. 13 in the NFL. On top of that, they were ranked right in the middle of the league, tied for No. 16 allowing 22.1-points-per-game last season, per ESPN's statistics.
That 22.1-points-per-game stat is even more impressive when you consider that they allowed a whopping 29.5 points over the first seven games of the year.
While the first seven games of their 2015 season are against some tough opponents, the Rams do a great job of getting up for divisional games, which they have three of. On top of that, they also play the Washington Redskins, who they tallied seven sacks against last season, and the Cleveland Browns.
The St. Louis defense finished with double-digit fantasy points on DraftKings in five of their final nine games in 2014, a trend which I expect to see continue from this team in 2015.
Dallas Cowboys: $2,800
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Many daily fantasy players may overlook the Dallas Cowboys early on in 2014 since they'll be without both defensive end Greg Hardy and linebacker Rolando McClain.
That may be a bad idea.
Rookie defensive end Randy Gregory looks like a man poised to prove doubters wrong, so he'll be a name to watch right out of the gate.
On top of that, second-year rusher Demarcus Lawrence began to come into his own at the end of last season. He's just one of multiple players who'll receive plenty of chances to make plays early in 2015.
The most important factor of all? The return of linebacker Sean Lee. After missing an incredible 31 games over the past three seasons due to injury, Lee is finally healthy.
Lee recently told Mark Lane of FOX Sports that he understands the frustrations with his injuries from fans, but he's focused on coming back and making plays for this defense.
"So, that's what I focus on: being able to come back, being able to help this team, and looking forward to the future. Even though it's hard, that's what I did nonstop." Lee stated.
While Lee is the defensive leader, this unit will be able to make plays even without Hardy and McClain through the early part of the season. Looking back at last year, including two postseason games, the Cowboys defense had 10 or more fantasy points on DraftKings in four of their final five games.
During that same five-game span, Dallas' defensive group forced seven interceptions and tallied 14 sacks. Rod Marinelli had this group finish up 2014 playing at an incredibly high level, but they may start 2015 off even more on fire.
Do the Cowboys have a tough schedule to start 2015? Absolutely, but they also draw the turnover-prone Eli Manning twice in the first six games. From there, they'll face a question mark in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Jimmy Graham-less New Orleans Saints.
Take a shot on this team with a price tag of only $2,800.
Arizona Cardinals: $2,800
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How the Arizona Cardinals defense managed to even put up solid numbers to finish 2014 is completely baffling to me. Starting quarterback Carson Palmer played only six games before missing the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
This left the Cardinals playing with Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley and Logan Thomas at quarterback.
Those three quarterbacks combined to throw for 10 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions throughout the entire regular season. On top of that, none topped a completion percentage of 55 throughout the home stretch of the season.
To make things even worse, running back Andre Ellington battled injuries all season, while totaling only 660 yards and three scores in 12 games.
Even with that said, the Cardinals defense still stepped up. Over the final nine games of the regular season, Arizona had at least 10 DraftKings fantasy points in six of the games. They totaled eight interceptions and an impressive 28 sacks during that span.
If this unit was able to produce without a true starting quarterback, imagine what they should be able to do with Carson Palmer back under center. Best of all, as Lindsay H. Jones of USA TODAY Sports explains, Palmer may be better than he's ever been.
The Cardinals draw the Saints and their new-look offense in Week 1. From there, they follow that up with games against the Chicago Bears and quarterback Jay Cutler and then the San Francisco 49ers. Finally, the four-week opening stretch ends with the hit-or-miss offense of the St. Louis Rams.
Not a bad start for a strong defense.
On paper, the Cardinals could be one of the stronger defenses in 2015, so why not take a shot on them early at a cost of less than $3,000?
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San Diego Chargers: $2,800
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On paper, targeting the San Diego Chargers early in the NFL season may seem a bit crazy for daily fantasy players, but there's a method to the madness.
Yes, the Chargers averaged 6.4-points-per-game on DraftKings all of last season. Yes, they also totaled the fourth-fewest sacks in the NFL last season with 26. With that said, there are positives for San Diego on the defensive side of the ball.
This is a team who gave up the ninth-fewest yards-per-game at 338.3 in 2014, while also being tied for No. 13 in points-per-game allowed at 21.8. The home stretch of last season proved that the Chargers defense can be good, but also when they're bad, they're really bad.
While San Diego had 10 or more fantasy points on DraftKings in four of the final seven games. The problem? In two of the other three games, they had a combined zero points (one point and -1 point).
Now, as for the selling point on the Chargers, they draw a solid start to the 2015 season in terms of matchups. In the first two games of the year, they'll face quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions and as well as quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both Stafford and Dalton are more than capable of turning the ball over early and often.
The matchup in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings isn't one that I love, but then comes Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have major issues offensively, which should be great news for the Chargers defense.
While the Chargers aren't my favorite of all the early season sleeper picks, they are definitely right there in the top five. The matchups are solid and this team has some young playmakers who are worth talking about in linebacker Melvin Ingram and cornerback Jason Verrett.
Atlanta Falcons: $2,700
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The Atlanta Falcons defense was essentially awful in 2014. They ranked last in the league in total yards allowed per game with 398.3, according to ESPN statistics. This is a team who also gave up 26.1-points-per-game, ranking them No. 27 in the NFL.
The biggest struggle for the Falcons was their inability to put any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Falcons totaled just 22 sacks in 2014, which was the second-fewest in the entire NFL.
Fortunately, Atlanta has taken major steps in the right direction this offseason. Possibly the biggest move they made was the hiring of former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach. Quinn will bring a new look and feel to this unit in 2015, making them the definition of a sleeper.
The Falcons used their first-round draft pick on former Clemson Tiger Vic Beasley, who amassed 33 sacks over his final three years in college. Beasley has the pass-rushing abilities that this team so badly needs heading into 2015. On top of that, Atlanta signed another rusher in Adrian Clayborn during free agency.
Clayborn has dealt with injuries throughout his four-year career, but in 2011 and 2013, when he played 16 games, he was incredibly productive. During those two seasons combined, the defensive end totaled 106 total tackles, 13 sacks and five forced fumbles.
The Falcons defense has plenty of talent, but with Quinn now leading the charge, I expect this group to really turn the corner. While they start off the season against the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles offense, they have some favorable matchups from there.
Atlanta draws the New York Giants in Week 2, the Houston Texans in Week 4 and the Washington Redskins in Week 5. All of those should be strong showings for the Falcons defense. I also wouldn't be shocked to see them create a few turnovers and tally a few sacks against the Eagles in Week 1.
At a cost of $2,700 on DraftKings, the Falcons may be one of the bigger bargains early in 2015.
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